[NYTr] Cuba: Post Election News Roundup - Oct 21-22, 2007

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

Prensa Latina, Havana
http://www.plenglish.com

Elections in Cuba Massive, Positive

Havana , Oct 22 (Prensa Latina) Maria Ester Reus, president of the
National Electoral Commission (CEN), stated that Cuban municipal
elections had a positive result, faced with the massive participation
of people.

"We term the process positive, because people voted with discipline and
organization," said Reus after expressing that there were no incidents.

The also justice minister told Prensa Latina that the CEN will continue
compiling vote's information to spread them as soon as possible.

CEN secretary Tomas Amaran reported that nearly 90.32 percent of
8,376,234 Cubans had already voted at 15:00 local time (19:00 GMT).

All Cubans over 16 and with legal capacity to vote were called to elect
15,236 delegates to make up 169 Municipal Assemblies of the People's
Power.

According to July 9 call by the Council of State, the date for the
election of provincial delegates and deputies to the National Assembly
of People's Power is yet to be defined.

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Cuba Elections Up and Running

Havana, Oct 21 (Prensa Latina) Cubans attend polling sites Sunday to
elect their representatives to community governments, the last stage of
a process involving a large part of the civil society, which started a
couple of months ago.

 The nearly 8.30 million Cubans with the right to vote will choose by
ballot 15,236 local candidates from a list of 37,258.

Over 37,700 polling sites have been fitted out, with the support of
several thousands of volunteer people and primary and high school
students, thus making the Cuban elections one of the cheapest worldwide.

The electoral process is free from political propaganda, given that the
candidates to delegates are chosen by a show of hands in neighborhood
meetings in which the party does not take part.

The vice president of the National Electoral Commission (CEN), Ruben
Perez recently said in press conference the country would be ready for
the Sunday elections, despite continuous rains in eastern Cuba in the
last days.

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The Delegate, Key of the Cuban Democratic System

Havana, Oct 21 (Prensa Latina) The over 15,200 delegates of the
People"s Power Municipal Assemblies, who will be elected at the ballot
boxes on Sunday, are key pieces to Cuba"s democratic system.

They will be elected among over 37 thousand candidates to represent
local governments for a period of two and a half years.

Apart from being designated by their neighbours, those who win in the
elections will in charge of dealing with the concerns of the people in
the community sector and try to find solutions to them.

A delegate, who is similar to a town councilor in other countries of
the world, should give account of his performance at least two times a
year in an assembly which such goals in the community.

However, there are other moments in which a delegate collects the
complaints, concerns or suggestions of voters, setting up a day of the
week to receive his fellow citizens.

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